Post by auntym on May 24, 2011 12:07:50 GMT -6

Finding a near-Earth asteroid worth landing on is harder than it seems, say rocket scientists.

What next for the human exploration of space? One idea is to send the next generation of astronauts to explore a near Earth asteroid.

Let's set aside, for a moment, the question of whether human exploration of space is viable and look at the supposed benefits of visiting a passing rock.

First, asteroids are of enormous scientific interest, being remnants of the primordial Solar System. Second, they need to be well-characterised so that we can head one off should it ever come our way. And finally, they may provide the raw materials and resources for future missions which can use them as stepping stones to Mars and beyond.

But what makes near Earth asteroids particularly inviting from an engineering point of view is their small velocity relative to Earth. A small delta-V, as rocket scientists call this, means less fuel and more payload. And that translates into longer missions with a better scientific return.

That raises an obvious question: which asteroid do we aim for?

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"ROADS? WHERE WE'RE GOING, WE DON'T NEED ROADS." Dr. Emmett Brown to Marty McFly in BACK TO THE FUTURE 2

And while it is the closest an asteroid this size has come to the home planet since 1976, there's no need to call Bruce Willis ... yet.

"There is no chance that this object will collide with the Earth or moon," Don Yeomans, the manager of NASA's Near Earth Object Program office, told Reuters.

But that doesn't mean the asteroid -- named 2005 YU55 -- won't be a threat to earth in the future.

Lance Benner, a research scientist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, said in a video from NASA (available below) that scientists haven't been able to reliably compute the asteroid's path beyond a couple of hundred years from now.

At its closest point, the space rock will be about 201,700 miles (324,600 kilometers) away, which is 0.85 the distance between the moon and the Earth. NASA says that the asteroid will reach this point at 6:28 p.m. EST on Tuesday.

"In effect, it'll be moving straight at us from one direction, and then go whizzing by straight away from us in the other direction," Benner said.

An asteroid this size -- which, according to Scientific American is larger than an aircraft carrier -- would cause widespread damage if it were to hit Earth, however. The Associated Press spoke to Jay Melosh, a professor of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences at Purdue University, who said that the asteroid would create a four-mile wide crater 1,700 feet deep. It could cause 70-foot tsunami waves and shake the ground like a magnitude-7 earthquake.

Post by auntym on Nov 7, 2011 12:50:53 GMT -6

Update: NASA Observation of Massive Asteroid Fly-By of Earth Tomorrow[/size]AsteroidA huge chunk of black rock bigger than four city blocks is speeding toward us at more than 30,000 miles an hour. Scientists say the asteroid will miss us, but it will be barely more than 200,000 miles away when it passes Earth at 11:13 p.m. Tuesday, and in cosmic terms that's whisker close.

NASA and astronomers at the Chabot Space and Science Center in Oakland, CA will be tracking the fast-moving object with the center's 36-inch telescope, as will scientists at other observatories around the world.

The scientists have estimated the possible effect which a clash with an asteroid of this size could cause to the Earth and namely – a 7-magnitude earthquake and a 20-meter tsunami, leaving a 6-kilometer crater.

The asteroid was detected six years ago by Robert S. McMillan, director of the University of Arizona's Spacewatch project, whose telescopes atop Kitt Peak near Tucson survey the skies nightly for what NASA calls NEOs, or Near Earth Objects.

The asteroid safely will safely fly past our planet slightly closer than the moon's orbit on Nov. 8. The last time a space rock this large came as close to Earth was in 1976, although astronomers did not know about the flyby at the time. The next known approach of an asteroid this size will be in 2028.

The image was taken on Nov. 7 at 11:45 a.m. PST (2:45 p.m. EST/1945 UTC), when the asteroid was approximately 860,000 miles (1.38 million kilometers) away from Earth. Tracking of the aircraft carrier-sized asteroid began at Goldstone at 9:30 a.m. PDT on Nov. 4 with the 230-foot-wide (70-meter) antenna and lasted about two hours, with an additional four hours of tracking planned each day from Nov. 6 - 10.Radar observations from the Arecibo Planetary Radar Facility in Puerto Rico will begin Nov. 8, the same day the asteroid will make its closest approach to Earth at 3:28 p.m. PST (6:28 p.m. EST/1128 UTC).

The trajectory of asteroid 2005 YU55 is well understood. At the point of closest approach, it will be no closer than 201,700 miles (324,600 kilometers) as measured from the center of Earth, or about 0.85 times the distance from the moon to Earth. The gravitational influence of the asteroid will have no detectable effect on Earth, including tides and tectonic plates. Although the asteroid is in an orbit that regularly brings it to the vicinity of Earth, Venus and Mars, the 2011 encounter with Earth is the closest it has come for at least the last 200 years. CONTINUE READING:www.dailygalaxy.com/my_weblog/2011/11/news-flash-nasa-deep-space-network-captures-new-image-of-asteroid-flying-by-earth-tomorrow.html

Post by paulette on Nov 9, 2011 11:23:48 GMT -6

Saw the latest on the news. Zipping in front of the moon. Yikes!!!! By galactic standards that was too close. If it had hit the moon - that would have been VERY BAD as well - chunks would probably have ended up entering the atmosphere AND we might have lost or had an altered moon orbit. Think - no tides - devastating. Stagnant oceans with only wind waves. No turn over of nutrients and oxygen. Major dies offs. Maybe dropping oxygen levels. Think higher tides - tides "bores" on every beach. On shallow ones - tide out 5 miles, in 5 miles in twenty minutes. No more near shore fishing. Maybe no more workable harbors. Maybe no more life in that zone except clams and worms. Flick - that piece of space rock went harmlessly by. Me - I'm eating chocolate for breakfast!!!!

DISCLAIMER: If we weren't half crazy we wouldn't be hereBut then they'd just have to find another place to keep us

Post by leia77 on Nov 9, 2011 15:28:49 GMT -6

Saw the latest on the news. Zipping in front of the moon. Yikes!!!! By galactic standards that was too close. If it had hit the moon - that would have been VERY BAD as well - chunks would probably have ended up entering the atmosphere AND we might have lost or had an altered moon orbit. Think - no tides - devastating. Stagnant oceans with only wind waves. No turn over of nutrients and oxygen. Major dies offs. Maybe dropping oxygen levels. Think higher tides - tides "bores" on every beach. On shallow ones - tide out 5 miles, in 5 miles in twenty minutes. No more near shore fishing. Maybe no more workable harbors. Maybe no more life in that zone except clams and worms. Flick - that piece of space rock went harmlessly by. Me - I'm eating chocolate for breakfast!!!!

Paulette, that reminds me of a dream I had when I was 19 during the whole "Linewave" thing.

I had a time for about four months when every night I would dream about apocalyptic events. You are describing one of those dreams perfectly.

The moon was struck by a space rock and broke apart into 8 pieces. I remember this vividly. Eight pieces. Each piece was to fall and strike the earth.

In the dream, I was watching it on the news on TV, absolutely horrified. The news anchor appeared to be just as horrified as I was but he reported the news regardless.

The dream ended when I felt the earth shudder underneath my feet and I started crying in hysterics.

That one was the scariest one. It was even scarier than the dream about the sun going out and plunging us all into darkness...

Post by Steve on Nov 9, 2011 15:46:52 GMT -6

Saw the latest on the news. Zipping in front of the moon. Yikes!!!! By galactic standards that was too close. If it had hit the moon - that would have been VERY BAD as well - chunks would probably have ended up entering the atmosphere AND we might have lost or had an altered moon orbit. Think - no tides - devastating. Stagnant oceans with only wind waves. No turn over of nutrients and oxygen. Major dies offs. Maybe dropping oxygen levels. Think higher tides - tides "bores" on every beach. On shallow ones - tide out 5 miles, in 5 miles in twenty minutes. No more near shore fishing. Maybe no more workable harbors. Maybe no more life in that zone except clams and worms. Flick - that piece of space rock went harmlessly by. Me - I'm eating chocolate for breakfast!!!!

Na, the result would have been just another large crater on the moon, one of countless millions. Object 2005 YU55 is only 400 meters wide (1300 feet - only somewhat larger than a Nimitz class aircraft carrier). For the moon it would have been just another offending insect in the face on it's motorcycle ride through the heavens.

Pity it did not strike the Moon. It would have been very informative to document an actual strike as it happened for science, and also one less asteroid to worry about. Spacecraft already there in lunar orbit could have obtained some remarkable close-up dramatic images.

No doubt Hollywood would then have some authentic images to pattern their next phony looking CGI 100 million dollar disaster thriller tailored for three year olds.

“We are not now that strength which in old days moved earth and heaven; that which we are, we are;
One equal temper of heroic hearts, made weak by time and fate, but strong in will. To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.”
From ‘Ulysses’ by Alfred, Lord Tennyson

"We can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them." - Albert Einstein

Post by skywalker on Nov 9, 2011 16:35:22 GMT -6

I think that dream Lorelei described about the Moon breaking apart would make a good movie. Somebody should tell Hollywood about it since all they are putting out now is repetitive remakes of everything that has already been made a thousand times.

I'm hoping an asteroid will hit the hit Earth sometime soon. I know that's probably not a good thing to say but I would love to see it happen and be able to study the effects of it. Kind of like if Tunguska happened while we were actually ready for it and watching it. It doesn't have to be a big one, and if it hit out in some isolated area where nobody would get hurt that would be cool...or it could hit someplace where it might actually benefit society, like Washington DC or some similar rat hole. I'm betting it will happen pretty soon...I'm just wondering if the Feds will tell us about it in advance.

Post by auntym on Nov 9, 2011 17:52:53 GMT -6

back in the 80s or 90s there was a short lived tv series about the moon breakiing apart... i don't remember the name but i enjoyed it and was sorry to see it canceled....

the story revolved around the moon breaking apart....and this small town in america and how the townspeople were coping with the fact they were all going to die eventually because of it.... every night they would look up at the stars and see big chunks of the moon missing.....watching it gradually get smaller & smaller....

anyone remember this short-lived tv series....?

"ROADS? WHERE WE'RE GOING, WE DON'T NEED ROADS." Dr. Emmett Brown to Marty McFly in BACK TO THE FUTURE 2

Post by jokelly on Nov 9, 2011 21:07:01 GMT -6

The moon breaking apart..was in a movie..but I can't remember the name of it. Was remotely like Armageddon where people had to go up and patch the moon up but I can't remember more than that..must not have been that great.

;D ....thats it.... i would have sworn it was an 80s or 90s tv series....good thing i didn't bet my life on it.... ;D

i really liked the show and was disappointed i didn't get to see if they lived or died.....i liked the storyline, because, even though the townspeople felt like they would probably die, there was always the chance the moon (broken in 3 parts) would just continue orbiting earth.....

also

there was a 6 part mini series made called IMPACT with David James Elliot (the guy from JAG)

the storyline....the moon crashing into earth because an asteroid crashesinto the moon....we send astronauts to the moon to try and stop it.....

"ROADS? WHERE WE'RE GOING, WE DON'T NEED ROADS." Dr. Emmett Brown to Marty McFly in BACK TO THE FUTURE 2

Post by skywalker on Nov 9, 2011 23:15:21 GMT -6

A movie called The Time Machine also had the Moon breaking up as part of its plot. I didn't realize the storyline was so popular. I had never even considered the idea that something like that might happen. I guess I just kind of figured that since the Moon has been there for 4.5 billion years that it always would be. Silly me.

Post by leia77 on Nov 9, 2011 23:18:55 GMT -6

A movie called The Time Machine also had the Moon breaking up as part of its plot. I didn't realize the storyline was so popular. I had never even considered the idea that something like that might happen. I guess I just kind of figured that since the Moon has been there for 4.5 billion years that it always would be. Silly me.

Post by skywalker on Nov 10, 2011 8:43:55 GMT -6

I think what Steve said is pretty much correct. The Moon has been hit by large asteroids before...all they did was leave huge craters on the surface. For an asteroid to actually cause major damage to the Moon it would probably have to be almost as big as the Moon itself. I can't really imagine something like that happening...at least not when there is a much larger target nearby.

Scientists are keeping a close eye on a big asteroid that may pose an impact threat to Earth in a few decades.

The space rock, which is called 2011 AG5, is about 460 feet (140 meters) wide. It may come close enough to Earth in 2040 that some researchers are calling for a discussion about how to deflect it.

Talk about the asteroid was on the agenda during the 49th session of the Scientific and Technical Subcommittee of the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS), held earlier this month in Vienna.

A UN Action Team on near-Earth objects (NEOs) noted the asteroid’s repeat approaches to Earth and the possibility — however remote — that 2011 AG5 might smack into our planet 28 years from now.

The object was discovered in January 2011 by Mount Lemmon Survey observers in Tucson, Ariz. While scientists have a good bead on the space rock's size, its mass and compositional makeup are unknown at present. [The 7 Strangest Asteroids in the Solar System]

"2011 AG5 is the object which currently has the highest chance of impacting the Earth … in 2040. However, we have only observed it for about half an orbit, thus the confidence in these calculations is still not very high," said Detlef Koschny of the European Space Agency’s Solar System Missions Division in Noordwijk, The Netherlands.

"In our Action Team 14 discussions, we thus concluded that it not necessarily can be called a ‘real’ threat. To do that, ideally, we should have at least one, if not two, full orbits observed," Koschny told SPACE.com.

Koschny added that the Action Team did recommend to the NEO Working Group of COPUOS to use 2011 AG5 as a "desktop exercise" and link ongoing studies to the asteroid.

"We are currently also in the process of making institutions like the European Southern Observatory aware of this object," Koschny said. "We hope to make the point that this object deserves the allocation of some special telescope time."

Non-zero impact probability

The near-Earth asteroid 2011 AG5 currently has an impact probability of 1 in 625 for Feb. 5, 2040, said Donald Yeomans, head of the Near-Earth Object Observations Program at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif.

This impact probability isn't set in stone, however. So far, researchers have been able to watch the asteroid for just a short time — the first nine months of 2011 — and the numbers may change after further observation, Yeomans told SPACE.com. [Photos: Asteroids in Deep Space]

"Fortunately, this object will be observable from the ground in the 2013-2016 interval," Yeomans said. In the very unlikely scenario that its impact probability does not significantly decrease after processing these additional observations, "there would be time to mount a deflection mission to alter its course before the 2023 keyhole," he added.

Post by swamprat on Mar 4, 2012 20:28:26 GMT -6

Asteroid to threaten Earth in 2013

Edited: 05 March, 2012

A dangerous asteroid heading to the Earth was spotted by stargazers three years after it had got onto its current orbit.

To avert a possible catastrophe – this time set for February 2013 – scientists suggest confronting asteroid 2012 DA14 with either paint or big guns. The stickler is that time has long run out to build a spaceship to carry out the operation.

NASA's data shows the 60-meter asteroid, spotted by Spanish stargazers in February, will whistle by Earth in 11 months. Its trajectory will bring it within a hair’s breadth of our planet, raising fears of a possible collision.

The asteroid, known as DA14, will pass by our planet in February 2013 at a distance of under 27,000 km (16,700 miles). This is closer than the geosynchronous orbit of some satellites.

There is a possibility the asteroid will collide with Earth, but further calculation is required to estimate the potential threat and work out how to avert possible disaster, NASA expert Dr. David Dunham told students at Moscow’s University of Electronics and Mathematics (MIEM).“The Earth’s gravitational field will alter the asteroid’s path significantly.

Further scrupulous calculation is required to estimate the threat of collision,” said Dr. Dunham, as transcribed by Russia’s Izvestia. “The asteroid may break into dozens of small pieces, or several large lumps may split from it and burn up in the atmosphere. The type of the asteroid and its mineral structure can be determined by spectral analysis. This will help predict its behavior in the atmosphere and what should be done to prevent the potential threat,” said Dr. Dunham.In the event of a collision, scientists have calculated that the energy released would equate to the destructive power of a thermo-nuclear bomb.

With the asteroid zooming that low, it will be too late to do anything with it besides trying to predict its final destination and the consequences of impact.

A spaceship is needed, experts agree. It could shoot the rock down or just crash into it, either breaking the asteroid into debris or throwing it off course.

Spaceship impossible?

Whatever the mission, building a spaceship to deal with 2012 DA14 will take two years – at least.

The asteroid has proven a bitter discovery. It has been circling in orbit for three years already, crossing Earth’s path several times, says space analyst Sergey Naroenkov from the Russian Academy of Sciences. It seems that spotting danger from outer space is still the area where mere chance reigns, while asteroid defense systems exist only in drafts.Still, prospects of meeting 2012 DA14 are not all doom and gloom.

“The asteroid may split into pieces entering the atmosphere. In this case, most part of it will never reach the planet’s surface,” remarks Dunham.

But if the entire asteroid is to crash into the planet, the impact will be as hard as in the Tunguska blast, which in 1908 knocked down trees over a total area of 2,150 sq km (830 sq miles) in Siberia. This is almost the size of Luxembourg. In today’s case, the destination of the asteroid is yet to be determined.

Post by skywalker on Mar 5, 2012 21:40:13 GMT -6

Holy cow! That could be big news! A giant 60 meter asteroid plowing into the planet could cause a huge amount of damage. I think I read somewhere that giant rocks hit the Earth at a frequency of roughly once every 100 years and Tunguska happened a little over 100 years ago. That means we are due for another one. The way the population has increased compared to the way it was in 1908 it could be a huge disaster. Even if it hits the ocean the Tsunamis created by it would cause all kinds of destruction.

spotless38: Iam back after a long break . What a couple of years I had . After what had happened I lost my brother and had to bury him and then I had caught that type A flue and I was a very sick puppy I also needed blood for the loss of it .Jul 7, 2018 13:30:41 GMT -6

lois: Very Happy to see you Ron. Missed you. Glad you are doing better now. Sorry for your lost. I did not know your brother had passed. hugs loisJul 10, 2018 0:52:45 GMT -6

lois: I picked up my phone a few days ago and I looked at the name of the caller. Boy was I surprise. It has been a couple of years. So good to hear your voice Ron. Hope you make it a habit again. love and hugs .Aug 15, 2018 23:21:38 GMT -6

leia77: Spotless, I am glad that you are feeling better and welcome back! I too am back from a long time away...Aug 31, 2018 2:08:32 GMT -6

jcurio: I am much relieved to see that you have been on here, Spotless! I hope that things are going much better for you now Sept 19, 2018 16:46:42 GMT -6